WASHINGTON (CNN) – For nearly three quarters of a century, the Muslim Brotherhood was banned from Egyptian politics and shunned by the West as a fundamentalist Islamic movement.

But this week the Brotherhood sent its first official delegation to Washington, meeting with high level administration officials.

The visit was part of a global goodwill tour to soften the group’s image and introduce its political faction, the Freedom and Justice Party, which emerged from the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak to capture nearly half the seats in Egypt’s new parliament.

“We are here to start building bridges of understanding with the United States," Sondos Asem, a member of the party's foreign relations committee and editor of its official English-language website, told students at Georgetown University. "We acknowledge the very important role of the United States in the world and we would like our relations with the United States to be better than before."

The delegation also joined Islamist parties from Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco at a conference sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that addressed the rise of Islamists into mainstream politics after revolutions across the Arab world swept secular, Western-backed dictators from power.

Dressed in suits, speaking English and delivering PowerPoint presentations, the delegation presented a kinder, gentler face of the Brotherhood, in an effort to counter long-held assumptions by Americans of the movement. Several held doctorate degrees from American universities.

At every turn, the group went to great lengths to portray the Brotherhood as a moderate and socially conscious movement which represents all Egyptians and believes in a pluralistic society with the separation of religion and the state.

"The principles are universal: freedom, human rights, justice for all. This is the priority of the Freedom and Justice Party," said Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, a member of Egypt’s parliament from Luxor, who earned his PhD at the University of Pittsburgh.

But U.S. officials are wondering how representative the delegation, and the moderate values they espoused during their visit, are of the conservative Brotherhood’s true beliefs.

While the Obama administration has reached out to the Brotherhood since it swept to power in parliamentary elections last year, officials have expressed serious concerns, echoed by Egypt’s secularists, that the Islamist group would impose Islamic laws, which could threaten the rights of women and religious minorities such as Coptic Christians.

Although the Freedom and Justice Party represents the more pragmatic wing of the movement, it is finding itself at odds with the more fundamentalist al-Nour party, whose Salafist interpretation of Islam won a quarter of votes in last year's parliamentary elections.

The Brotherhood, one U.S. official noted has a history of evolving over time and is “now redefining itself,” which raises the question “do they really know themselves, who they are today?”

In his appearances this week, the delegation sought to ease concerns that the party was planning to implement Sharia law. Dardery stressed the Brotherhood believes in a constitution based on “Sharia principles, not Sharia rulings.”

U.S. concerns about Sharia were further heightened by the Brotherhood’s decision to field a candidate in the country’s presidential elections beginning next month. The party had promised not to field a candidate, but changed course citing threats to democracy from the military council.

The U.S. also is anxious to ensure a Brotherhood-led government would abide by the 1979 Camp David peace treaty with Israel. Several of the group’s leaders have promised to put the accords to a referendum, but Dardery said the Brotherhood would respect “all international agreements,” including the Camp David Accords.

This delegation in town this week met with Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Assistant Secretary Jeff Feltman, as well as members of Congress.

But their meetings at the White House were a sensitive topic. White House spokesman Jay Carney downplayed the talks, saying the representatives met with “midlevel” officials from the National Security Council.

Carney, however acknowledged the group’s new strategic influence, saying "the Muslim Brotherhood will play a prominent role in Egypt's life going forward.”

“Because of the fact that Egypt’s political landscape has changed, the actors have become more diverse and our engagement reflects that,” he said. “The point is that we will judge Egypt’s political actors by how they act, not by their religious affiliation.”

The United States must also balance longstanding ties with Egypt’s military with the need to build a relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood as they both jockey for power and feel their way through Egypt’s political transition.

“There is no question that the Muslim Brotherhood’s decision to nominate a candidate is a challenge” to the military, one U.S. official said. “But the challenge is at the core of democracy – its how both groups conduct themselves that will tell us how democracy plays out in Egypt.”

While trying to allay American fears about their political ambitions, the Brotherhood representatives also wanted to send the message that Egypt is open for business. The Brotherhood desperately needs to funding and investment to short up Egypt’s economy, which is teetering on collapse.

The Brotherhood also wants to turn the corner on the case against American pro-democracy groups. The military council’s decision to prosecute the groups prompted outrage by members of Congress and threats to withhold US aid. In an interview with CNN, Dardery called the military’s treatment of NGO’s “a mistake” from start to finish, and said they would be welcomed back in Egypt, provided they respected a soon-to-be-passed law which will govern their work in the country.

Mutual suspicion by both the United States and the Brotherhood is likely to endure for some time. The Brotherhood delegation this week said while it wanted a partnership with America, but that the days of the United States buying Egyptian acquiescence are over. U.S. officials recognize the need to engage the Brotherhood, but will judge them not on their democratic election, but whether they bring democracy to Egypt.

“We don’t know these guys,” one senior official said. “We can’t see into their souls like President Bush did with (Russian President Vladmir) Putin. We have to judge them on what they do.”

soundoff(31 Responses)

wedding flowers

This is very interesting, You're an overly professional blogger. I have joined your feed and stay up for in the hunt for extra of your fantastic post. Also, I've shared your web site in my social networks

VIOLENT WORLD PSYCHIATRY-PSYCHOLOGY REVEALED(mindless mkultra crimes performed by police and psychiatrists/psychologists)

USE OF MKULTRA + HUNGER GAMES TODAY....Use of psychology/psychiatry for mass population or ethnic cleansing as well as crimes to which we witness daily on behalf of Zionism/communism/liberalism.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpqc0u_part-80 EXACTLY HOW ETHNIC CLEANSING IS TAKING PLACE AGAINST NON SLAVS(German etc) THROUGHOUT EASTERN EUROPE SINCE WWII FOR THE SAKE OF USSR#2 + REAL 911 REVEALED !!!

TRUTH ABOUT RUSSIAN COMMUNIST APPARATCHIK ALIKE GANGSTER AND TRAITOR DAVID DUKE OR 70 YEARS OLD US GOVERNMENT OBAMA(TERRORIST) NEWS

https://dailymotion.com/video/xpkfh7

https://dailymotion.com/video/xpmelt

Related to WHITES ARE NOT WELCOME IN AMERICA ANY LONGER !!! http://www.youtube.com/user/BostjanAvsec or rather http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xleq3o OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE RECORDED LIVE IN 2009 !!! EXILING WHITES(US citizens) WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE AND IMPORTING NON WHITES IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS FREE !!! WHY TO ACCEPT LIABILITIES FOR CRIMES COMMITTED WHEN WE CAN SIMPLY ASSASSINATE OUR VICTIMS(YOU) THANKS TO HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS AND FREE PRESS/MEDIA(most severe CENSORSHIP OF GENOCIDE in entire history of human kind) !! NOT HUMAN RIGHTS COURTS, BUT ORGANIZERS OF GENOCIDE AGAINST WHITES AND SPONSORS OF BOGUS "MULTICULTURALISM" $$$ CLAIMS AT EXPENSE OF PERSECUTED WHITES(while minorities are awarded for and instructed by governments in bogus human rights claims, whites are simply killed if not perverted in multiculturalism garbage) !!!

For fast updates use http://www.facebook.com/people/Loki-Nagrind/100001962176474

REMINDER...MY YOUTUBE ACCOUNT WAS HIJACKED(March 07th, 2012) BY US GOVERNMENT WHILE PRIMARY E-MAIL AS WELL AS BLOGS WERE ALL SHUT DOWN FOR THE SAKE OF CENSORSHIP REGARDING GENOCIDE AGAINST ME PERSONALLY THAT INVOLVED ABDUCTIONS / MK-ULTRA BRAINWASHING / FORCED BRAIN ELECTRODE – CHIP IMPLANTS / HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION / BLACKLISTING / FORCEFUL UNEMPLOYMENT AND ASSASSINATIONS !!! ALL AGAINST WHITE(under "NAZI" lie) CIVILIAN POPULATION TODAY IN 2011/2012 ACROSS THE EUROPE AND NORTHERN AMERICA !!!

+(plus)

IF THEY BRAINWASH YOU WITH LIES ON HOW ELECTING TERRORIST OBAMA WOULD HELP TEA PARTY(there is already over one hundred million of so called minorities in US alone while you are everything, but treated as humans), PLEASE ASK YOURSELF WHAT ARE YOUR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL ONCE OBAMA IS AGAIN SELF-ELECTED(see video 77) & SINCE NEW LAW IS TAKING GUNS FROM YOU ALREADY TODAY(stop the violent world of psychiatry or lies – NOW OR DIE) !!!

US government consist of TERRORIST Obama alike lawyers(liars), Ron Paul alike doctors, and Gingrich/Sanatorum alike family members of affected(brain disease) individuals who have helped pass CRIMINAL HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION bill against target whites. CRIME NO DIFFERENT FROM ROMNEY(Bush screwed US for Obama and now it's Romney's turn) WHOSE FATHER EXCELLED AFTER GM WAS DELIBERATELY BANKRUPT = AMERICA TODAY(soon to be success based on previous sabotage) !!

Anyone courting the Muslim brotherhood is going to be looked back in history as a useful idiot. The Iranian people were all enthusiastic about their new revolution at the time. I suspect at the next revolution they will be burning the religious people with their books. It seems all the middle east has to go through what Iran is experiencing. Eventually they will sufficaite in poverty and misjustice from the religious cooks.

At least they are trying to promote a better image for themselves. I may not agree with a lot of their politics, but I have to respect that they are reaching out to other world powers as opposed to regressing to isolationism.

Last I checked AIPAC spends more money picking our leaders, than all the other lobbies combined..

Last time I checked, Israel had sunk the uss Liberty.

Last time I checked, Israel sold weapons to aparteid South Africa

Last time I checked, Israel defines itself by its Jewish majority, the definition of aparteid..

Read a book, you fukking sheep....

April 8, 2012 at 1:56 am |

Brain in DC

Is the idea to compare Islamic fundamentalism to Israeli actions and see which is the worse of the worst? Justifying negativity with negativity or hate with hate is not a good option and won't build a better world or better future to people, including Arabs.

April 8, 2012 at 1:58 pm |

SGompers

I wonder what Grover Norquist's (the Tea Party saint) fees about the Muslim Brotherhood?

April 9, 2012 at 1:20 pm |

AF

There are 5 million jewish Israelis and 1600 million muslims. According to the UN 99% of some 40,000 terrorist acts were by muslims since 2001. Judism does not permit forced conversions or activley to convert to their faith. Islam has forcefully converted and murdered those that do not obey. Many Islamic countries give long prison sentences and some death to those that they believe insulted Islam. I could go on and on but the problem is many muslims because of culture are so brainwashed they could see the truth if it was in front of them. That is what happens when your quran allows to deceive and kill in the name of Islam. lying becomes your nature.

Unfortunately in the Palestinian and Israeli-neighboring world there are two conflicting mentalities: One that comes and goes to make peace with Israel and trade land for peace, the other is that Israel is a devilish creature that needs to be completely removed. And unfortunately each side has people who have either sincere or malignant interests. Arabs need to settle down and unite on their goals first before any progress can take place. Unfortunately Arabs disagree on everything and do dnot even trust each other!

According to a special report issued by ‘the Blogging Professor,’ the Chicago Law School faculty hated Obama. The report states that Obama was UNQUALIFIED, that he was NEVER a ‘constitutional professor and scholar,’ and that he NEVER served as editor of the Harvard Law Review while a student at the school.

Wow. I'm just justifying your existence by responding to your trolling but I'm bored and will posit a question. If you believe in this country at all – outside of whether you think the President is a terrible human being and liar (in other words pretend he never existed) – do you really think the most powerful country in the history of world, one that has the power to destroy governments, armies and is still a de facto controller of the world economy wouldn't background-check someone running for executive office? A person with a record of sorts or lack of paperwork would have difficulty getting a job at a McDonalds and you somehow – if you un-ironically believe the website that you linked to – believe this country to be as powerful as it was, is and hopefully will be somehow does not have the ability to check paperwork and paperwork that would back the highest office in the land? Well you my friend, go elsewhere. Let's say that theoretically the controls in place allowed such a thing to happen; well don't you think maybe the people in Congress would may be figure such a thing out? If you believe Obama is a false President fine, and I certainly havehad and will continue to have my problems with him and every President during my lifetime, but there is a larger issue you probably are not admitting. You hate this country no matter who's in charge. Anyone who think's this great country has a system so faulty that it can't check paperwork should probably leave.

"the separation of religion and the state." is not true in Islam. Islamists always claim that Islam governs. Historically Islam was a conqueror country as well as a religion. both started together. So there is no way around it. As in Iran, Islam is claimed to be the source of laws.

Post a comment

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.

Search Security Clearance

Share this blog

About this blog

CNN's Security Clearance examines national and global security, terrorism and intelligence, as well as the economic, military, political and diplomatic effects of it around the globe, with contributions from CNN's national security team in Washington and CNN journalists around the world.